SUMERU_Concept Design

GAME
RESEARCH
CONCEPT ART

Motivation

As a designer and a dancer, I am always obsessed with the elegance and creativity of body movements interacting with the nature.

In the modern world, super computers analyze different data-sets from nature as the input to map simulation landscapes. Those programs are usually being used visually and scientifically. However, the intricacy of output information limits how it can be use. If in the future, humans can use similar input to constitute a fully immersive simulative world where people can explore different environment to experience and interact with the anger and unpredictable of mother nature, how will it looks like?

This is a game that explores the connection between nature, climate crisis, body movement, and the simulative world.

Digital Nature

Today scientists use algorithm and big data to simulate “nature” in the computer world, which renders fictional and mythological properties to the environment.

“Simulations are the fictional world that combine practical scientific environments and human’s imagination.”

                                                                                                                                

Human Nature

Historically, human use another way to connect
themselves to nature - dance and ritual. Those
activities provide the environment another face.

“Dancing is a way for humans to simulate nature
abstractly and mentally.”

Cultural Nature

Culturally, nature is no longer landscapes or human’s expression, but had its own spirit and life and appeared as creatures and objects. The theory is called ANIMISM.


Animism is the religious belief that objects, places, nature and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. These beliefs can often be found in Asia, especially within Chinese and Japanese folk tales.

There are several rituals or festivals that come from these kinds of folk tales. The most representative two are “HYAKKIYAKOU” from Japan and “ZHENGTOU” from Taiwan.

Contemporary Nature

In the contemporary world, people also have to face the issue of the changing of nature. One of the most important issue of nature now is global warming.

We can see people talking about climate crisis everywhere - news, politicians, schools...et cetera. However, how do we really experience and educate ourselves of the importance of global warming? Maybe we can find some answers by referencing various perspective of “nature”.

World Building

By referencing real landscapes of the world, the game world will show up as a surreal simulative landscape created from particular construction and input that relates to references.

Concept Sketches - Landscape Creatures

By referencing the basic construction of the world from Chinese culture - 5 elements, the game world is designed as several levels that are related to real landscapes and basic elements.

In the game world, landscapes have their own lives and spirits that they can express their emotion by dancing.

The ocean becomes a dragon, the forest becomes a dungeon, the volcano becomes an elder, and the city becomes a factory machine.

Each level has its own disaster that come with climate crisis, and also there are some smaller disaster creatures inhabit on particular levels.

Concept Sketches - Character

Either in the Japanese culture or the Taiwanese culture, participants of parades will put on masks or dress up special costumes to change their character from purely human to the character between nature and human beings. 

Hence, those masks and costumes became important elements while designing the character that player control to experience the game world.